Mouseketeer Bonnie dies, known as troupe's standout dancer

RICHMOND-- Former Mousekeeteer Bonita Lynn Fields Elder, an agile dancer who showcased those skills on the 1950s children's show, has died in Indiana at age 68.

Fields' cousin, Robbin Myers, of DeBary, Fla., said Tuesday that Fields died Saturday at a Richmond hospital following a two-year battle with throat cancer. She said Fields moved to Indiana a few years ago to care for her ailing, now-deceased mother.

Fields was 12 when her dancing abilities helped her win a slot on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in 1957 in the show's third season. She auditioned in California, where her family had moved from Indiana when she was 9.

Myers says Fields went by the name Lynn but adopted the stage name "Bonnie," a shortened version of her first name, for the show. Walt Disney requested the change, saying "Bonnie" went better with the names of the other Mousketeers.